A driving assistance apparatus for avoiding an oncoming vehicle which might drive off an oncoming lane is conventionally known (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-102690). Based on the distance between a parked vehicle on the oncoming lane and the centerline, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-102690 determines whether the passing path of an oncoming vehicle interferes with a lane of a host vehicle. When determining that the passing path of the oncoming vehicle interferes with the host-vehicle lane, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-102690 either stops or slows down the host vehicle.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-102690, however, does not consider the positional relation between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-102690 stops the host vehicle even when the host vehicle can pass the oncoming vehicle without interference. This may impede the flow of traffic.